AR273 – Archaeology of the Viking Age

— FOR ZIGGY —

Class meets TR 3:30–5, Room CAS 213

Prof. Mary Beaudry <beaudry@bu.edu> Semester I, 2009—2010 Rm. 345C, 675 Comm. Ave. (phone 8-1650) Office Hrs.: TR 1:30–3, & by appt. Course Description The Vikings made their mark on the world during the 8th to 11th centuries CE when they were at the height of their expansion activities—a time known as the Viking Age. Remembered today mostly for their fierce and brutal raiding, the Vikings were also farmers, traders, and explorers with a pagan belief system and distinctive code of justice. We will examine all elements of Viking life through archaeological evidence presented in conjunction with historical evidence from sources such as the Viking sagas. We will also take time to understand what was happening in the world around the Vikings to get a clearer picture of their role and influence during the Viking Age and in the centuries that followed. Course Objectives It is the goal of this course to provide a deeper understanding of Viking history and culture—as well as of their lasting influence on the world around them—through archaeological evidence. You will demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of class material by taking 3 objective exams and you will have the opportunity to improve your analytical skills by participating in class discussion and by writing 2 short essays about archaeological investigations of Viking sites. Texts (available for purchase at the Barnes & Noble/Boston University Bookstore)

• Fitzhugh, William, and Elisabeth Ward, eds., 2000, Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga. Smithsonian Institution Press, ISBN: 1650989955 = F/W

• Haywood, John, 1995, The Penguin Historical Atlas of the Vikings. Penguin Books. ISBN: 0140513280 = H

Readings not in the required textbooks—flagged on the syllabus with an asterisk (*)—will be posted on the course web site (see below). Course Requirements Graded Assignments:

• 2 Mid-term exams 20% each • 2 Essays 15% each • 1 Final exam 20% • Attendance/Participation 10%

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Exams: The two mid-term exams and final exam will consist of map identification, key term identification, and short answer questions. The mid-terms will cover only the material for the portion of the class that precedes that exam; the final will be cumulative. While the schedule of reading and lectures may change the dates and times of exams will not change; so mark these dates in your calendar and plan to be there.

• MAKE-UP EXAMS WILL ONLY BE GIVEN IF YOU NOTIFY ME (VIA E-MAIL OR VOICEMAIL) IN ADVANCE OR WITHIN 72 HOURS OF THE MISSED EXAM.

• MAKE-UP EXAMS MUST BE TAKEN WITHIN 2 WEEKS OF THE MISSED EXAM.

Essays: You will be required to write two (2) essays, 4–5 pages each. You are expected to turn in the essays on the due date; late work will be penalized at the rate of 5% per day. A Department of Archaeology manual for writing archaeological research papers is available at http://www.bu.edu/archaeology/undergrad/WritingPaper.pdf. Class Attendance: Attendance in class is a part of your grade. An attendance sheet will be passed out at the beginning of each class. If you are late to class it is your responsibility to make sure you sign the attendance sheet. If you leave class early without notifying me beforehand, you will not receive full credit for that day. I will count an absence excused only with written verification. Class Participation: Class participation is also a part of your grade. You will be given participation credit for answering and asking questions during lectures. Your class attendance and participation grade will be assigned at my discretion and will be based upon your presence and involvement during the semester. With perfect attendance you can earn 44 out of 50 points (B+) but you must participate at least once to receive 45 of 50 points (A). With significant participation you can earn more than 45 points. If you stop attending class but do not officially withdraw by the official last date to do so, you will receive an F for the course: no exceptions. You should also be aware of CAS policy regarding adding, dropping, and withdrawing from classes; see http://www.bu.edu/cas/students/undergrad-resources/forms/class-adjustment/ . Academic Integrity: Please take the time to familiarize yourself with the University's policy about what constitutes plagiarism (http://www.bu.edu/cas/students/undergrad-resources/code/ ); please note that plagiarism or cheating will most decidedly have a negative effect on your grade and perhaps even your collegiate career. Course Web Site All class participants have access to the course materials through the course web site; here you will find course documents such as the syllabus, announcements about the course, copies of or access to course readings, links to WWW sites you will visit as part of your course assignments, and a communications center from which you can communicate with other members of the class. Here is where you will find copies of any reading assignments that are not in your textbooks for the course. I'll also be posting course announcements to the Web site. Please plan to visit the site regularly. You can access the AR273 web site simply by clicking on the class number/name as posted in your schedule on the Student Link portion of the Boston University web pages, or you can point your browser to http://blackboard.bu.edu, then click on the link to the College of Arts and Sciences, then on the link to the class. You will be prompted to login; to do so, enter your BU login name (the portion of your email address that comes before the @). When prompted to enter a password, type in your regular password. Once you are "in" you can change your

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password and other details of your account, arrange to have your course email forwarded to another address, and so on. (If you've used the system before, it will have stored any changes you made to your personal details.) Follow the on-line instructions.

Meeting Topics and Reading Assignments

You are expected to do the reading BEFORE each class meeting.

Week 1 Thurs. 9/3 Introduction to the course Introduction to Scandinavia & life before the Vikings H: 16–25 F/W: 27–41 Week 2 Tues. 9/8 Viking Home Life H: 36–37, 44–45, 94 –95 F/W: 42 –54 Thurs. 9/10 Viking political organization & Viking towns H: 28–35 & 42–43 F/W: 72–85 Week 3 Tues. 9/15 Viking trade H: 38–39 *“Merchantmen,” in The Viking World, ed. by James Graham-

Campbell, pp. 86–111. Frances Lincoln, London, 2001. Thurs. 9/17 Viking ships H: 40–41 *“Ships, Shipwrights and Seamen,” in The Viking World, ed. by James

Graham-Campbell, pp. 36–63. Frances Lincoln, London, 2001. Video: The Voyages of the Vikings Week 4 Tues. 9/22 Viking art “Viking Art,” in The Viking World, ed. by James Graham-Campbell, pp.

130–153. Frances Lincoln, London, 2001. Thurs. 9/24 Viking religion H: 26–27 F/W: 55–71 Week 5 Tues. 9/29 Christianity & the conversion of the Vikings “From Odin to Christ,” in The Viking World, ed. by James Graham-Campbell, pp.

172–193. Frances Lincoln, London, 2001. Thurs. 10/1 The Vikings raids begin H: 8–11, 46–59 & 84–85

The World in 800 CE F/W: 99–126 Review Week 6 Tues. 10/6 1st mid-term exam

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Thurs. 10/8 Vikings in Britain H: 62 –63 & 66 –71 *Richards, Julian, Viking Age England, pp. 14–48. (Tempus, Stroud, Glocs., 2004). Week 7 Tues. 10/13 MONDAY SCHEDULE, CLASS DOES NOT MEET Thurs. 10/15 NO CLASS, WORK ON YOUR FIRST ESSAY! Week 8 Tues. 10/20 Jorvik (VikingAge York, England) *Hall, R., Chapters 1–4 of Viking Age York (English Heritage, 1994) Thurs. 10/22 Essay 1 Due Recent Viking Age excavations in Britain Video: Meet the Ancestors episode on Vikings

*Hadley, Dawn, The Vikings in England: Settlement, Society and Culture, pp. 1–27. Manchester Medieval Studies. (Manchester University Press, 2006)

Week 9 Tues. 10/27 Vikings in France H: 60–61, 64–65 & 80–83 Thurs. 10/29 Vikings in Ireland, Wales, & Scotland H: 72–79 *Parker Pearson, M, N. Sharpels, & J. Symonds, Vikings. In South

Uist: Archaeology and History of a Hebridean Island, pp. 125–144. (Stroud, Glocs.: Tempus Publishing Ltd., 2004)

Week 10 Tues. 11/3 Viking Age Dublin *Selection TBA from Johnson, Ruth, Viking-Age Dublin (2004). Review Thurs. 11/5 2nd mid-term exam Week 11 Tues. 11/10 Vikings in the East H: 100–109 F/W: 103–115 Thurs. 11/12 The Vikings sail west into the Atlantic H: 86–93 F/W: 142–188 *McGovern, Thomas H. 1990. The Archaeology of the Norse

North Atlantic. Annual Reviews in Anthropology 19: 331–349. Week 12 Tues. 11/17 The Vikings settle Greenland H: 96–97 F/W: 281–350 Thurs. 11/19 The Vikings explore North America H: 98–99 F/W: 189–207, 238–280

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Week 13 Tues. 11/24 L’Anse aux Meadows: Gateway to Vinland? F/W: 208–237 *Ingstad, A.S., The Excavation of a Norse Settlement at L’Anse aux Meadows in

Newfoundland.” In The Viking Discovery of America, by Helge Ingstad and Anne Stine Ingstad, pp. 140–169. (New York: Checkmark Books, 2001)

*Wallace, Birgitta Linderoth, L’Anse aux Meadows: Gateway to Vinland. Acta Archaeologica 61: 166–198 (1991).

Thurs. 11/26 Thanksgiving break, no class Week 14 Tues. 12/1 Indigenous Response: The Inuit & the Vikings *Fitzhugh, William W., “Early Contacts North of Newfoundland before A.D.

1600: A Review,” in Cultures in Contact: The European Impact on Native Cultural Institutions in Eastern North America, A.D. 1000–1800, ed. by William W. Fitzhugh, pp. 23–44. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. [1985].

Thurs. 12/3 The Danish Empire & the world at the end of the Viking Age H: 110–135

Week 15 Thurs. 12/8 Legacy of the Vikings F/W: 351–373, 385–399 Tues. 12/10 Essay 2 Due Hoaxes & wishful thinking about the Vikings in America F/W: 374–384

*Wallace, Birgitta, Viking Hoaxes. In Vikings in the West, ed. by Eleanor Guralnick, pp. 53–76. (Chicago: Archaeological Institute of America, 1982)

Overview & Review

Final Examination: Wednesday, December 16, 3–5 p.m.